Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2015
431. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the qualifications or criteria that an entity or company must have or satisfy, to be eligible to deliver the next local action fishery programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37781/15]
View answerOn 25 June 2015, my Department submitted an Operational Programme under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund to the European Commission for its consideration and adoption. Following a period of negotiation of that draft Programme since June, I anticipate that the Commission will adopt the Programme in November. The Programme will then be published. The Operational Programme will set out details in section 5 of the process that will be followed for selection and approval of Local Development Strategies (LDS) to be implemented by FLAG groups with the support of the Operational Programme and the mandatory criteria that will be applied for consideration of expressions of interest and for evaluation of draft LDSs. Pending the adoption of the Operational Programme by the Commission, it would be premature to discuss details further at this stage. I will arrange for a copy of the adopted Programme to be laid before the Houses as soon as it is available.
